While this approach has worked fine, significantly boosting wireless range, it has also increased the required amount of power. Nevertheless, since most network clients were desktop PCs back in 1997, when the first version of the wireless standard was released, power efficiency wasn't a key priority.

So, Wi-Fi can be a great solution for applications where power consumption isn't an issue. An intelligent home security system, which is connected to the mains at all times, can (and should) utilize a wireless network, because it needs to stream large amounts of data. Additionally, Wi-Fi networks are everywhere, and this has the potential to make IoT devices inexpensive and easy to deploy.

Internet of Things gadgets can be really useful. I love the convenience of operating a smart light bulb using my cell phone just like everyone else. Who wouldn't want to be able to set the color of the light in his or her room as he or she desires? However, poorly secured IoT devices continue to cause serious problems. They allow hackers to take control over your gadgets, damage them, and even get you into trouble by using them to attack various websites.

Yes, the problem is that serious! Nevertheless, there are several things that you can do to increase security. Here's what works right now.

1. Use a router which includes a built-in, hardware-based firewall. Don't ever connect your IoT devices straight to the Internet! Your router provides an additional layer of security, because it can block connection requests for undesirable IP addresses.

It also helps to utilize an antivirus which includes a software-based firewall. It's not as efficient as one that uses dedicated hardware components, of course, but it provides an additional layer of security that shouldn't be ignored.

There has never been a better time to get started as an Internet of Things developer! According to a recent report provided by Gartner, there will be more than 20 billion IoT devices by 2020. That's an increase of over 240% in comparison with 2017, and since the industry is booming, companies need more developers who are able to build the hardware and the software which will ensure that new IoT devices are built and operate properly.

Let's start with the hardware part. Often, this is done by an engineer who is specialized in electronics. Still, if you plan to become a skilled IoT developer, you should be able to build simple projects from the ground up on your own, by making use of already existing boards and sensors.

During the first stage of the project, the developer creates code that is able to read the data which is provided by the sensor(s) and sent to the IoT device. Then, once that the data reading part is completed, the programmer will take care of the code which communicates with the server. Depending on the actual project, there may be a need for some user interface code, which will display the required data for the end-users.